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Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth is the titular secondary antagonist of Shakespeare's play . She is the wife of Lord Macbeth of Scotland, and it is she who gives him the idea of . Because of her part in the crimes, Lady Macbeth is so remorseful that she walks in her sleep and eventually kills herself. In the opera based on the play, Lady Macbeth is a . Portrayals *Sarah Siddons *Charlotte Melmoth *Charlotte Cushman *Helen Faucit *Ellen Terry *Jeanette Nolan *Vivien Leigh *Judith Anderson *Simone Signoret *Vivien Merchant *Francesca Annis *Judi Dench *Glenda Jackson *Angela Bassett *Alex Kingston *Kate Fleetwood *Marion Cotillard *Hannah Taylor-Gordon History Lady Macbeth goads her husband, Lord Macbeth, into murdering King Duncan so he can usurp the throne. While Macbeth refuses at first, she wears him down by appealing to his ambition and challenging his manhood. She gets Duncan's guards so drunk that they pass out to give Macbeth a clear path to kill Duncan. Once Macbeth kills Duncan, Lady Macbeth plants the blood-stained dagger he used on the guards, framing them for the murder. She feigns sorrow at the King's death and insinuates that Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, ordered their father's death, forcing them to flee the country. With all other potential inheritors of the throne vanquished, Macbeth becomes King of Scotland, with Lady Macbeth as his Queen. Once she has the power she so long desired, however, Lady Macbeth is plagued with guilt over her role in Duncan's murder. Her guilt is so overpowering that she hallucinates that her hands are stained with Duncan's blood, as well as that of the other people who Macbeth murdered to secure his power. She was unable to stand it any longer, so she commits suicide by jumping off her castle's highest peak. When she died, MacBeth's only reply was: "She would have died thereafter (meaning that she would have died sometime sooner or later).". Gallery Marionmacbeth.jpg|Lady Macbeth portrayed by Marion Cotillard vivien-leigh-recording-artists-and-groups-photo-u18.jpg|Vivian Leigh as Lady Macbeth. simone-signoret-recording-artists-and-groups-photo-u3.jpg|Lady Macbeth by Simone Signoret. sarah-bernhardt-people-in-film-photo-u6.jpg|Lady Macbeth by Sarah Bernhardt. judi-dench-recording-artists-and-groups-photo-u16.jpg|Lady Macbeth by Judi Dench. judith-anderson-theater-actors-photo-u3.jpg|Lady Macbeth by Judith Anderson. vivien-merchant-theater-actors-photo-u2.jpg|Vivien Merchant's Lady Macbeth. jeanette-nolan-people-in-tv-photo-u2.jpg|Lady Macbeth by Jeanette Nolan. tumblr_mi9t6jeYLx1r4zckoo1_1280.jpg|Francesca Annis as Lady Macbeth. harlow_siddons.jpg|Portrayed by Sarah Siddons. Ellen_Terry_plays_Lady_Macbeth.jpg|Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth. 6b0d7473a5a2ad70af5ae15c561ad7b2.jpg|Portrayed by Alex Kingston. 02Charlotte_Lady MacB.jpg|Portrayed by Charlotte Cushman. f308c659c2df4feafc0abac946bc3aa1.jpg|Kate Fleetwood's modern interpretation of Lady Macbeth. Trivia *Lady Macbeth is considered by some critics and scholars to be the main villain of the play, despite the fact that she never actually kills anyone and plays no direct part in the dozens of murders that her husband later commits. The reason is that she was the one who made Macbeth the way he is in the first place. This makes her one of the most infamous and hated female villains in history. Category:Shakespeare Villains Category:Conspirators Category:Remorseful Category:Suicidal Category:Titular Category:Theatrical Villains Category:Femme Fatale Category:Provoker Category:Power Hungry Category:In Love Category:Spouses Category:Corrupting Influence Category:Abusers Category:Neutral Evil Category:Incriminators Category:Deceased Category:Aristocrats Category:Destroyers Category:Murderer Category:Homicidal Category:Fictionalized Category:Mastermind Category:Female Category:Successful Category:Monarchs Category:Non-Action Category:Faux Affably Evil Category:Weaklings Category:Psychopath